Chapter 1

“Mr. Lupin, this is an Advanced Physics class. You are college student. There will be no more sleeping during my lectures.” Christopher Lupin didn’t tell his professor that he had been completing the extensive list of physics problems he had assigned the day before.

“I’m sorry Father.” He said nervously. “It won’t happen again. I swear.” Fr. Odin leaned back in his chair and pushed up his glasses. He looked at Christopher and sighed.

“Try to get more sleep, okay?” Christopher nodded gratefully and stood up from the chair on the other side of Fr. Odin’s desk. “Goodbye Mr. Lupin.” He left the room and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder.

Christopher attended St. Marigolds. It was a small Catholic college. His father had turned to religion when Christopher’s mother left with her lover fourteen years ago. Chris had read the Bible over ten times, four of those times with his father.

Chris was a reserved boy as a child, and a silent senior now. He was worrisome, skittish, and had a difficult time opening up to other people. He was tired of being…the quiet boy…the shy boy…the Jesus-freak.

Advanced Physics had been his final class on this Friday and he decided to do something he had never done in his four years of college life. He was going to go to a party. He had seen the poster advertising the event in a small, popular dining spot off campus.

In his small apartment three blocks from campus he went through his closet and found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt he had bought weeks ago, on his first attempt at a night out. He dressed and looked in the full length mirror on the outside of his closet door.

“Ugggh. It looks like I should be a decoy on To Catch a Predator.” He ruffled his hair into a slightly sloppy style and tried to look cool. Chris pouted his lips and squinted his eyes. He laughed at his reflection and grabbed his keys and wallet. He took a few deep breathes and left out of his apartment.

He didn’t have a car so he caught the local bus towards the factory district of town. He got out of the bus around ten. As he got closer he got more and more nervous. He didn’t have to look very hard to find the building the party was in. He could hear the music as he got near.

Chris entered the factory after paying the five dollar entry fee and looked around. He felt excited and walked towards an empty corner. He knew not to get a drink, but enjoyed the atmosphere. His dad would be furious that he was attending such a function.

A girl wearing at least sixty glow sticks walked up to him. He stood silent, and watched her carefully. She leaned forward into his face, as if she was about to say something, and licked his cheek. He squirmed away from her and wiped his face.

His gaze fell upon a tall, serious looking man standing upon the wall of the factory. Their eyes met and Chris looked away, embarrassed. He had liked men his entire life, but had never admitted it to anyone. His father would quote the Bible and tell him it was a sin.

Chris knew he didn’t fit in and left the building. It was only forty minutes after ten and he grudgingly made his way to the bus stop. He didn’t notice someone had been following him. He usually would have been more alert.